Review: STAR WARS #28

Yoda’s quest into the heart of the mountain reveals questions involving both Ben & Luke as this brilliant arc of Star Wars continues.

It’s been awhile since I reviewed an issue of Star Wars, but let me say up front: 28 issues into this series, it has been a delight to read the entire way. You can’t often say that, and Jason Aaron’s work on this entire series thus far has been brilliant. That trend continues with this issue, a comic that delighted me and has me desperately wanting more.

I’ve enjoyed the Obi-Wan issues of Star Wars so far, and seeing how they are tying into another layer of Star Wars mythology with his journal and this tale of Yoda is even more satisfying than previous issues. Aaron is deftly weaving in stories from multiple different eras of Star Wars continuity without violating the time constraints of this Star Wars series and what impresses me most about this is how natural it all feels. Luke reading Ben’s journal discussing an epic tale of the mighty Yoda may sound convoluted and too layered, but Aaron, Larroca and Delgado sell it, and the revelations in this issue about how this story ties into the lives of Ben and Luke were absolutely fabulous.

The big reveals in this issue took me totally by surprise, and I applaud the team’s execution of this story. The pacing is fantastic, with the surprises hitting at the right time for maximum effect and the issue’s cliffhanger is great. Layering these three timelines could be a complete mess, but this creative team pulls it off, seemingly with ease. Aaron’s writing is on point, his cadence and dialogue for Yoda so on point that you can hear Frank Oz’s voice saying these lines. Aaron’s Yoda is so strong that I felt an overwhelming amount of nostalgia while reading this issue, his presence reminding me of being a kid and watching Empire and ROTJ on repeat because I just couldn’t get enough. This is a flawlessly written comic by a modern-day master of the medium who is seemingly unstoppable at the moment.

Salvador Larroca’s artwork is consistent and he excels at capturing Yoda’s heartbroken demeanor. Nobody in the Star Wars Universe can feel empathy quite like Yoda can, and Larroca’s pencils capture that well. Edgar Delgado’s fantastic colour work softens the edges of the pencils and gives the artwork levels of depth that make it rich to feast your eyes on. His colour work really seals the deal for me with this issue, and I believe his collaborations with Larroca elevate the penciler’s work very nicely.

Star Wars #28 is a fantastic read for anyone who loves a great tale in a galaxy far, far away. I can’t wait to see what this team has prepped for the finale of the arc and you really can’t miss with Star Wars these days.